Blood Sun
by SpiritualxWolf
Summary: Two outlaws have joined the most notorious terrorist group in Gaia in hopes of finding better fortune. But what seemed like the usual Mako raid routine turned out to be a nightmare filled with gunfire and prison bars. In order to receive their freedom, the two are forced to work together and accept a dangerous proposition given to them by WRO officials. Western/AU. CloTif, Zerith.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters, places, names, or anything of Final Fantasy VII. This story was inspired by the game _Red Dead Redemption_. This story is purely fan made and made for the enjoyment of writing.

 **Author's Note:** I was quite hesitant to post this since I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in reading. But I thought it might be something fun to try. Feel free to review if it interests you. Thanks  & happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter I**

"Yo, so…this is the new kid then, eh?"

"Yeah. He doesn't say much, but he's cool. I'm curious to see what he's got."

"Ehhh…Spikes here looks like a total _loser_."

A lanky man with black goggles over his eyes looked over at the blonde man sitting across from him, studying his face with a doubtful look. He shifted his weight uncomfortably on the raggedy and old wooden bench and ran his long fingers through his long, fiery red hair that was tied back into a ponytail. He adjusted his loose hanging black tie and tried to brush some of the dust off his filth covered dark blue, pinned striped suit jacket. He leaned over to his friend next to him to whisper.

"Zack, look at this schmuck…he's trembling likes a little school girl. Can this kid even shoot straight, yo? And Gaia, he smells like horse shit too."

The man next to the red head rolled his Mako infused eyes as he inspected the syringe in his hand. He whispered back lowly, "Reno, the _kid_ has a name. It's Cloud Strife, I think. And he's is pretty built. He's no small dude. Plus we're about to shoot him up with a second dose of some heavy 1st Class Blue Jet, so he'll be fine. Also…everyone smells, in case you haven't noticed. Jez, I mean I haven't showered in…" The gentleman lifted up his bulky left arm and took a good whiff of his armpit. His face twisted in distaste at the vulgar smell. "Yeahhh, I would say in a good week or two."

The blonde man was sitting on the other wooden bench in the horse drawn wagon by himself. A fresh coat of perspiration coated his sun kissed skin and his spiky, yellow hair. The sleeve of his timeworn, blue button up shirt was rolled up passed his elbow to expose his arm vein. His Mako blue eyes watched as the man with a notable 'x' shaped scar his left cheek flicked the needle of the syringe he was holding. Inside of it was a strange looking mixture and it glowed with Mako. His chiseled chest heaved a little as he tried to settle himself down. He hated needles.

After readying the syringe, the onyx haired man then handed him a cloth wrap. "Here, take this and wrap it just above your elbow. Make sure it's tight enough so that you can get a vein to pop up."

Cloud nodded and took the white cloth from him. He wrapped it tightly around his arm until he could see his median cubital vein rise. He could feel the trepidation creep up his spine and drop down to the pit of his stomach. He let his hand tug at the silver necklace around his neck. The chain and the two metal wolf rings dangling from it felt like ice against his burning skin. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

 _Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub…_

"All right. You ready?" Zack asked him as he brushed back a lock of his lengthy, wild hair out of his face.

"Yeah," Cloud nodded. He took the glowing syringe and hesitated. "Why do they call it Blue Jet again?"

 _What am I doing?_

 _Is this what I want to do?_

"Because it fucking glows blue and it hits you like a fucking jet engine. What, you gonna pussy out now?" Reno questioned.

Paying no heed to the lanky man, the blonde jabbed his visible vein with the thick needle and injected the fluid into his system.

The Jet hit him fast and hard just like it did the first time. His lean body was hunched over with his head hanging low to look down at his open, callused palm. He could feel his hands shake a little, and he could feel the muscles in his arms tighten with new strength. His striking and scarred visage had a mixture of both awe and terror at the new, electrifying feeling running through his body. His breathing became labored and sporadic. His heart rate was alarmingly irregular, and his muscles felt like they were going to explode. The veins in his circulatory system felt like they were on fire, and he could feel his sensory system work in overload. It felt like he was working his body to death or something. For a split second, he could feel an extraordinary sensation of euphoria settle in his chest.

 _THUMP!_

One of the wagon wheels the group was on had apparently hit a large rock on the desert ground, and it had caused the passengers to rock out of their seats.

"Fucking hell, Rude! Yo, don't you know how to drive?!" Reno grumbled as he tried to stable himself back into his crappy seat. "My ass is already bruised from riding in his piece of shit!" The bald headed driver grunted at Reno's remark, and refused to look at him.

The commotion had caused Cloud to snap out of his euphoric state. He adjusted himself back into his seat and moved his Mako blue eyes up to look up at the starry, plum and black colored sky. It was a beauteous desert night with no moon and the air was crisp and cool. Nothing but the sounds of trotting horses, whining wagon wheels, clanging of guns and ammo, and the rough voices of men filled the live night.

He, along with the plentiful men of Shinra were heading to the town of Kalm, where their objective was to take control over and steal one of the town's main energy source…their Mako reactor. What for? Hell, Cloud didn't know. He had just joined the terrorist group only five days ago. All he knew was as long as he got the job done right with the crew he was with, he would get a nice and hefty salary. And decent pay was definitely hard to come by in the desert shitland of Gaia. He just really didn't like the fact that all Shinra employees were injected and bathed in freaking Mako energy.

His hand ran over the flesh of his arm, where his median cubital vein was injected.

 _Gaia, what the hell did they do to me?_

 _My body…my body feels so different._

He inhaled, trying to suck some air into his disordered body.

"Hey…your name's Cloud, right?"

Cloud looked up at the man who spoke to him. He had the same blue tainted eyes like himself…like _everyone_ did in Shinra's group but his appeared to have more Mako in them than usual. He looked like he was just a little older than Cloud, at about 27. He wore a black buttoned up pocket shirt and suspenders to help keep his blue vertical striped pants on. Wrapped over his right shoulder and torso was a bullet belt that held his rifle ammo. On his neck, he wore a sweat stained red bandana that was tied in a knot, like he tried to pull it off as a tie. His left ear was pierced with a silver stud and hidden underneath his bandana was golden locket necklace that looked quite valuable. In his lap, he held a beautiful rifle that had a scope mounted on the top of it. It looked like he took more care of the rifle than he did of himself.

 _What do you want?_

"Yeah," Cloud replied flatly.

The dark haired man flashed him a toothy grin. "I'm Zack Fair. I'm gonna be your backup for the raid. How's the Mako feeling?"

Cloud winced.

"Not good…"

"Eh, yeah. I felt like that too when I first had it. The stuff you got is really strong. Don't worry too much about it though. The feeling wears off in about another week or so. And then…" Zack's smile widened. "Then you'll start feeling preeetty good."

 _Pretty good?_

Cloud suddenly got an uncomfortable feeling. He wondered what he meant by that.

"Yo, so don't fuck up, 'kay Spikey? We don't wanna see good 1st Class Blue get wasted away." Reno chimed in as he played a slimy grin. "'Cause if you do, I'll be the first one to rip you another hole right in your pretty face."

 _Thanks, asshole…_

Zack opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately cut off by a thunderous voice that shattered through the night.

"Alllllriiiiight, boys! Wake up, and smell the Mako! And get yer fuckin' shit together! We're ridin' into Kalm!"

Heidegger.

"Let's show these peasant folks who's boss! Gya haa haa haa!"

"Gaia, I fuckin' hate that guy's laugh…he sounds like a fuckin'–Whoa! Oh ohhh heyyy, Heidegger! Hey man, yeah we were just…you know…hehehe…" Reno drifted off as Heidegger approached on his horse next to the group of men on the wagon.

Heidegger was a large man with a long graying black beard. His short black hair was cleanly cut and slicked back in a neat fashion. He looked like he was a top Shinra official as he had on a military styled red and green double breasted jacket that had was detailed and tripped in gold and had metals hanging on off of it. His green trousers were styled with the same gold trim and his brown leather boots looked polished and clean. He was probably the cleanest man Cloud had seen all day.

"This the fresh meat?" Heidegger's gruff voice asked as he completely disregarded Reno's initial greeting.

Cloud blankly looked at him.

"That's the guy," Reno replied.

Heidegger took a revolver from his holster and threw it at him. Cloud reflexively caught it.

"Better shoot well, kid. If I see you dead first, I'll be sure to take your body and feed you to my hounds. Gya haa haa haa!" The fat man laughed as he rode away.

Cloud sighed in frustration as he looked at the gun in his hands before placing it securely into his leather gun holster around his waist.

 _I'm not dying today._

* * *

Cloud and the rest of the fifty Shinra minions entered the sleepy town of Kalm as softly as they could. Most of the men had split up with half swarming around the outskirts of the town to head to the reactor while others snaked directly through Kalm in a calm fashion to scout out for lawmen. It looked like pulling the raid off would be difficult, since the small reactor was set up in the middle of town. They were forced to do their work in plain sight in front of the shops, homes, and inns all looking uniform in their white color with brown wood trim and blue roofing.

Cloud was on foot with Zack just behind the main shops closing in on the reactor. They stealthily hung to the darkness of the shadows while being keenly aware of their surroundings. They stopped behind a saloon in left view of the reactor. It was a small reactor, which was normal for a town like Kalm. It was the tallest building and looked the most modernized in its metallic style. At the stairway entrance was Heidegger and his two men Reno and Rude.

The two boys watched impatiently as Heidegger spoke to Reno. He had a strange look on his face. He had pulled his reigns on his horse for the creature to take a few steps away from the reactor.

"The town is so quiet…" Zack stated as stood behind Cloud, who was knelt down with a knee into the dirt behind the building. Cloud noticed it too. Even though it was about four in the morning, there were usually at least a few townspeople out at the saloons or at least a sheriff and some lawmen doing night patrol. The town just seemed too eerily dead.

 _Maybe everyone was too scared and left?_

"What's going on with Heidegger?" Cloud asked as he peered out with his hand gun drawn. He could barely see what was going on it was so dark. Zack's eyes narrowed.

"Something is wrong…"

Cloud scanned each of the buildings, seeing nothing but darkness. He leaned his head over to the wall of the saloon to listen for anyone inside, but still nothing. It was so quiet he could hear his pulse. Then, he saw a flicker of movement across the town at the top of one of the buildings facing the reactor. His eyes stayed fixated on the figure until the shape of a man formed, and he was holding something in his hand.

"Zack–"

" _Go back to hell you Shinra scumbags!"_

 _BOOOOM!_

Abruptly the night was lit up in colors of yellow, orange, and smog. There was an explosion at the stairway of the reactor, and it was large enough to throw Heidegger, Reno, and Rude of their horses. Noise and chaos erupted in the night and the gun fire went off.

Zack aggressively grabbed Cloud's shoulder and brought him off the ground from his kneeling position.

"Cloud! We need to–"

 _BOOM! BANG!_

Cloud was airborne for about half a second before crashing back to the dirt ground on his stomach. He slowly raised his body up from the ground with his knees and hands. He sat there for a moment to try to reorient himself again. His vision was blurry and all he could hear were annoying sirens and fire burning. He could smell the building burn behind him and the blood dripping from his nose. His head was throbbing, but he gutted through the pain to look up to try and find Zack.

"Zack!" He called out in a groggily voice.

Suddenly he could feel a hand grasp the collar of his shirt behind pull him to his feet. He whipped his head around to find his friend covered in black smog and dirt. It looked like he took most of the blast as he had numerous cuts and burns on his face and body. He could see some wood particles still lodged in his masculine face. Behind him, he saw that only part of the saloon was caught in the explosion and most of the building was still standing, but quickly getting consumed by fire.

"Hey are you alright?"

 _PING!_

They both instinctively ducked as they heard a bullet bounce off close by.

"Cloud, you need to get out of here and head back to the camp grounds! We need backup!" Zack yelled over the roar of the flames and gunfire. "I saw a horse still tied to a hitching post just down there on the side of the building!"

Zack pointed and looked behind him over towards Kalm's general merchandise store. It was still standing and had only minor damage from the rather small explosion.

"What about you?" Cloud questioned back. Zack shook his head.

"I have to clean up and make sure Heidegger gets his fat self out of here alive!" The dark haired sharpshooter held up his rifle in his hands. "Now get going! I'll cover you!"

"Wait, I can–"

 _I can fight!_

But in a flash, Zack had already bolted off in the direction of gunfire before Cloud could get another word in. Cloud grunted in dissatisfaction. He came here to fight, not run away like a coward. He shrugged it off though. Right now, he needed to get Zack and the rest of the boys help.

The blonde marksman rushed off towards the next building in his hunched position. His his brown, mud crusted boots moved swiftly as he dashed across what was left of the saloon and the open gun fire and made it behind the general store building. He could feel the heat of the flames as he moved and the salty sweat soaking his ugly clothes. He could hear the horse cry uncontrollably. He snaked his way with his back against the white wooden walls towards the edge of the building to peer out where the horse was when he heard footsteps above him. He looked up.

"I got you now, you piece of shit!" A lawman shouted. He pointed his double barreled hand gun at Cloud's face and placed his finger on the trigger to shoot.

 _BANG BANG!_

Cloud, however, was faster.

The lawman shuddered violently and plummeted down the building. He fell on the dry soil just a few inches next to Cloud dead with two bullet holes through his forehead. Cloud waited for a second to see if anyone else was on the roof, but no one else came. He wasted no time and went around the corner, still in the same hunched position and found a spooked buckskin mare. She had a beautiful buttermilk colored coat and had a leather saddle strapped on her back. The poor creature was tugging hard at its reigns that were tied against the wooden hitching post, in an effort to free itself.

The young man crawled his way towards the hitching post to get a hold of the leather straps. As he was untying the reigns, he gazed out into the open shooting grounds. Several dead men littered the dirt and gun fire was coming from all directions and heights. Most of the town's law force was coming from the rooftops while Heidegger's men were scattered across the town behind whatever cover they could find.

 _Kalm knew. They knew we were coming._

Cloud fumbled around a bit with the straps before he was finally able to unknot it. The loose reigns seemed to relax the horse just enough so that he could mount it. He was about to ride off when–

"H–HEY! HEY YOU!"

He jerked his head around and found a woman lying flat on her stomach on the general store's porch with a gun pointed straight at him. Her wide, brown eyes bored into his blue ones with fearlessness. Her long, dark brown hair fell down messily down her back and her parted bangs were damp with her sweat. Her porcelain visage was untouched by scars or scratches and held a grim look. She was dressed in white long sleeved blouse with a mahogany colored vest and a dark, sienna brown long skirt and brown boots. At her neck was a cerulean blue scarf with brown leather gloves over her delicate hands, and she wore a dirty black cattleman styled western hat. She propped herself up with her elbows while still staying close to the ground to have a better hold on her pistol. It looked like she had crawled out from the general store once she heard him messing with the reigns.

"You're not stealing my Stella, you stupid jerk!"

Cloud stared blankly back at her for a good long minute, wondering what a fancy lady like her was in a doing in a place like this.

"Stella?!" He asked stupidly. It was all that could come out of his mouth.

He then watched her thumb pulled back the hammer on her silver pistol.

 _Fuck!_

Cloud pulled the horses reigns to ride when she shot the gun off into the wood ceiling covering her from above. The horse released a deathly shriek and immediately threw him off. He fell backwards on his back with a hard _thunk_ and the back of his head smashed into the desert earth.

He rolled on his side as his body scrunched up, and his hands automatically grabbed the pain site on his head. His eyes shut in pain as the dust settled around him from his fall.

"Ahhh my head…" He moaned.

 _I guess that's what I get for staring at a lady too long…_

As he opened his deep blue eyes, he found a pair of black cowboy boots in his face. He looked up and found a rather large man staring down at him holding Zack's rifle with both of his hands. Cloud saw the shiny gold sheriff badge gleam on the man's chest as the fire continued to light up the night.

 _I guess I really am gonna die today…_

The short, chubby man bent down a little to speak to him.

"Well, son. Looks like it's your lucky day!"

 _WHACK!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

"Did you knock him out again, son?"

The sheriff let out a long sigh while the tip of his thumb pushed up the brim of his dirty cowboy hat to take a closer look inside the cell.

A malnourished body lied sprawled out on the rotten and wooden ground of the jail cell with his head turned to the side. Blood trickled down from the man's bent nose into a small pool of red liquid forming around his face. His right eye was so swollen and black that it looked like a grotesque boil. The rest of his face looked just as horrid, with some serious fist bruises and some open cuts. His face was so fucked up from getting the shit beat out of it, it barely looked human. Saliva dripped from his agape mouth and slithered around his rotting yellow-brown teeth until it mixed with his pooling blood. His overalls and white shirt were covered in dust and other mysterious stains. It looked like the scrawny sap had lived in the same pair of overalls for years. Flies swarmed around his motionless body and the human feces next to him.

"Gaia…he was supposed to get hanged today," The plump lawman shook his head and placed his hands on the buckle of his holster belt. "Whelp, I can't hang an unconscious man now can I, Mister Strife? The people want to see a _live_ one. An' I'm _sure_ they wanna see some _Shinra_ dog hang."

His small eyes looked between the rusting prison bars over towards the blonde man lingering within.

Cloud remained silent. He didn't bother to look at that stupid fat bastard sheriff who took him in as a prisoner after the failed Mako mission. The incident was six days ago, and he was still stuck in this rotting cell that reeked of piss and shit. The cell was so small, that he was sure the max capacity would only be about four men. Initially when we got thrown in, there were two other men occupying the cell. The first one got hung three days ago, while the second one…well...

Cloud looked at the sorry pile of trash on the ground next to his feet.

 _Shouldn't have pissed me off._

He sighed with his head hung low between his shoulders as he sat on the cell's splintery bench. He was hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees. Sweat droplets trailed down his scarred up forehead down to the tip of his nose until they dripped down onto the broken floor that had a light scatter of hay on it. Aggravation and rage colored his striking face as wrath dyed his blue, Mako eyes.

 _What the fuck am I gonna do now?_

He clenched his hands into fists. He felt like life was steadily going into the shitter for him.

 _I knew I should've just stayed a farm boy._

"I'm thinkin' you can take his place for today, yews know? Johnny here can hang tomorrow." The sheriff uttered as he played a crooked and wolfish grin.

"Whoa now sheriff…sounds like someone is getting a little too eager over there."

The lawman instantly frowned. His face twisted with annoyance as his beady eyes darted over towards the next jail cell. "You always gotta speak up, don't yews son?"

Cloud could hear Zack's body shift around the wooden bench in his tiny cell.

"If you wanna hang someone today, you can hang me. My face is prettier anyways…" Zack said in a cocky voice.

Cloud sat up and looked over at the worn cement wall that separated his cell from Zack's.

 _What the hell are you doing, Zack?_

Zack couldn't be _that_ stupid, right?

No, he probably had a plan.

The fat man let out an obnoxious laugh and pulled out his 45 caliber revolver from his battered leather gun holster. The belt looked like it could barely contain the man's enormous potbelly that hung lifelessly over it. He confidently strode away to Zack's cell and was out of Cloud's view. He could hear the jingle of the sheriff's cell keys.

"So, yews wanna take Mister Strife's place, huh? So be it, son. Maybe it'll teach you how to shut yer loud mouth, mmm?"

Cloud heard the key turn and the loud squeaking sound of the metal door being pulled open. He could hear Zack smile.

"Yeah, or maybe I can shut yours instead."

"Hey! Wh– _arrgg_!"

Cloud got up on his feet and scrambled over to his cell door. He tried to see what the heck was going on as he heard the commotion next door. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear the two wrestling each other. Zack's chuckle and the lawman's struggling grunts echoed throughout the sheriff's office. A few seconds later, he heard a weak _Oomph!_ sound escape the sheriff's throat.

 _BANG!_

Cloud flinched as he heard the gun go off. The bullet easily tore through the wooden door on the other side of the room. Did he kill him? Or did that ass actually shoot Zack?

 _I'm gonna assume Zack had the upper hand…_

"Zack?" Cloud called out.

The dark haired gentleman coolly and casually made his way out of his cell and trotted over to Cloud's door with a boastful look on his countenance. He had the sheriff's gun in his hand and his off white tom mixed styled western hat on. He wiped the perspiration from his face with his red bandana around his neck.

"Worried about me?" He said as he flashed a smile.

Cloud frowned and gave him an irked look.

 _This guy…_

"Did you kill him?"

"Nah, I just read him a bedtime story and put him to sleep."

Cloud sighed. "Just get me out of here…"

"You got it! W–Whoa! Oh wow…Gaia, Cloud! You _literally_ beat the living crap outta that guy, huh?" Zack said as he took the prison key from his pocket and unlocked the door. "I guess the Mako must be settling in well."

Cloud was about to say something back, when the front door to the sheriff's office busted open. Three men rushed in.

The first to enter was a tall and lean man who had shaggy, ash gray and white hair with a thick beard of the same color. He wore a red vest that was embroidered with a gold pattern over his white cotton long sleeved shirt and black necktie. Around his waist was a black gun holster belt that held two large revolvers that hung neatly over his black trousers. He sported a black, open crown cowboy hat and held a rifle in both of his hands.

Two other men hung at his flanks, each with their own gun equipped in their hands. The man on his right was incredibly huge and was bulging with muscles. It looked like his faded red, long sleeved shirt and black buttoned up vest could barely contain his ripped upper body and arms. His wide face looked rough like all his scars healed pretty badly, and he had messy charcoal black hair that hung around his ears. There was a look of detestation across his visage as his glowing Mako eyes laid their burning gaze on the two outlaws.

The man on the left however, was the complete opposite. His face and ruby eyes looked hollow, and he had a thin figure with an imposing posture. He had pale white skin that accented his shoulder length, jet black hair. He had on a dark, garnet red ascot around his neck and draped over his shoulders was a black leather overcoat that covered the majority of his body.

The man with the white hair slowly approached the two boys with his black western boots clicking loudly against the wooden floors of the office. He stopped just a few feet in front of them, and his dark eyes scanned the open room. He sighed in vexation as he saw the lardy sheriff motionless on the ground in Zack's cell. His dark eyes then rested on the boys in front of him, who were frozen in their tracks.

Cloud mentally cursed to himself.

 _Shit…_

 _Can life get anymore shitter?_

He took a glance over at Zack next to him, who appeared to be relaxed and unfazed by the presents of the three males.

"I _assume_ you two are the Shinra boys, correct?" The bearded man asked with thick southern accent.

"Oh, so you heard about us?" Zack replied as he folded in arms across his chest. The bold smile was still dancing on his face.

The man with the rifle raised an eyebrow and motioned the man to his right.

Without hesitation, the buff man moved like a blur and smashed a hefty fist right into Zack's open gut. The smile on Zack's face no longer existed as his body hunched over in agony, and his toned arms grabbed his torso. There was a mashup of astonishment and pure pain on his face as his eyes bolted shut. He stumbled backwards until his back hit the prison bars behind him.

 _What the fuck!?_

The man's movement was so fast Cloud didn't even see him move. As the muscle man pulled his fist back from Zack's gut, Cloud moved in to take a slug at his exposed and grisly face. But once again, the man was faster, and he easily countered him with another packing punch. He hit the blonde hard on the side of his jaw, but Cloud was able to keep his balance. Cloud was surprised that his jaw didn't shatter after that blow. Because Gaia, it felt like he got hit in the face with a sledgehammer.

Before Cloud knew it, he soon found his throat caught and wrapped around the large man's stern grasp. With a single hand, he effortlessly lifted Cloud's fraught body in the air and choked him like a rag doll. Cloud's hands flew to his throat, desperately trying to rip off the man's tightening death grip as his face grimaced.

"That'll do, Angeal, that'll do. We still want them to be able to talk, now." The man in the red vest said as he shifted the rifle into his left hand and set it down on the ground to lean on it. His other hand adjusted the golden WRO pin on his vest.

Angeal grumbled in displeasure and released his locking grip. Cloud's body slumped to the ground next to Zack, urgently trying to wheeze in the dusty, malodourous air. Angeal's pure Mako eyes bored down at him with absolute disgust.

"Ahhhhh…Gaia…ughhh…I'll feel _that_ tomorrow…" Zack moaned as he slid down off his feet and sat on the floor. He let out a couple of forceful, bloody coughs.

The bearded man cleared his throat to speak again.

"Mister Fair, my name is Jeremiah Hollander. I'm part of the WRO Bureau of Investigation. My colleagues and I just wanna ask you boys a few questions."

"WRO…?" Cloud huffed out and he tried to get up to stand. The acronym sounded familiar. He remembered some of the Shinra guys talk about the WRO before, but he never knew what it stood for.

"World Regenesis Organization. You know, we try to help the Planet and shit," Hollander answered. He then motioned to the other man next to him. "Grimoire, help Mister Hewley take Mister Fair and, errr…his spiky haired friend over here into the private office."

Angeal wasted no time and yanked Zack up on his feet and pushed him forward towards the door where the bullet had ripped through from the sheriff's gun. Grimoire pulled out his own revolver and shoved it in Cloud's temple as he escorted the blonde into the room. Once the two outlaws were in, Angeal and Grimoire shut the door behind them.

Hollander placed his rifle on the side of the large desk which stood the middle of the room. He moved the large, brown leather chair out of the desk so that he could stand behind it. He motioned the two to sit down on the two smaller leather seats on the other side.

"Take a seat, boys."

Cloud immediately looked over at Zack, who simply shrugged back. With no ideas this time, they obeyed the command. Cloud watched the older gentleman stroll over towards the dusty, oak bookcase behind the desk as the yellow light from the afternoon sun beamed through the office window. The bookcase had hardly any books on it, but the man found a black wooden box on one of the shelves and opened it. He pulled out three cigars, a few strike matches, and an ash tray and placed them on the desk. He took out a switch blade from his pocket and sliced one of the end of a cigar. He held it out to the sitting boys in an offering gesture.

"Cigar?"

Cloud looked muddled by the offer. He studied Hollander's face, trying to figure him out.

 _What the hell was this guy doing?_

"Don't mind if I do!" Zack said as he took the cigar and a match. With a swift movement of his wrist, he lit the match up against the desk's frame and held it against the cigar to let it burn. Eccentric aromas of harsh tobacco, chestnut, and hints of vanilla brought life into the dry air. Zack sat back in his chair comfortably, as he thoroughly enjoyed his smoke. He hummed in satisfaction.

Hollander held the second, uncut cigar to Cloud.

His blonde brows furrowed together in distrust. "No, I don't–"

Zack snatched up the toxin before Cloud could finish his sentence. He displayed a smile as he wedged his cigar between his teeth and crammed the second one into his shirt pocket. He then ran a hand through his greasy black hair and rested is foot over his other thigh in the 4-figure sitting position.

"Ahhh good o'l Wutai cigars. Forgot how good they were. Ahem…so, Hollander…what did you want to talk about?"

Hollander cut and lit up his own cigar before proceeding. "We came to talk about this terrorist group you two are involved in–Shinra. The WRO has been lookin' to terminate the head of his group for a long time now. And, as I'm sure you know, Mister Fair, it's very difficult to reach this fella. But now since we got _you_ , I reckon it might be a little easier."

 _Does this guy know Zack?_

Hollander looked over at Cloud, who stared back with no emotion.

"I assume this is one of Shinra's new recruits?"

"Yeah, you don't need to worry about him." Zack stated as he kept his nonchalant composure. He blew a few puffs of smoke over towards Hollander's direction.

"Hmm, oh yeah? Well, to me it looks like he got shot up with some pretty good Blue Jet based on the markings in his eyes. They look just like yours, son."

"It's just something we wanted to try…"

Hollander leaned in closer to Cloud, inspecting his eyes closely. "Looks like 1st Class Blue Jet."

"What the hell is 1st Class? And I thought I was just injected with Mako?" Cloud questioned as he sent a glance over towards Zack's direction.

 _What the hell did they put in me?_

Zack suddenly didn't look so imperturbable anymore and his expression darkened a little. He refused to acknowledge Cloud's gaze.

"It's _nothing_ ," He responded in a low voice.

"You were shot up with a _special_ kind of Blue Jet, boy. Your friend here can explain it to you later. As for 1st Class, it's a type of rank in Shinra's little army called SOLDIER, and it's the most elite rank you can get if you're assigned as his field muscle." Hollander explained. "1st Class is said to be extremely difficult to achieve, and only the Shinra man himself selects the individuals. Below that you have 2nd Class, and the very bottom is 3rd Class."

Cloud looked down at his blood stained hands. He remembered Reno telling him he was part of 3rd Class since he was new, so why did they give him 1st Class shit? Was there something special about him? No, there's nothing special about him. But something was going on, and he felt like Zack knew exactly what it was.

"Your friend here, Zack is a 1st Class ranked SOLDIER. He's been part of the terrorist group for several years now. Shinra has been using him as their sharpshooter dog. You were also a former experiment of his weren't ya', Mister Fair?"

Zack remained in his silent for a moment longer as he slowly exhaled the delicate smoke lingering in his mouth. "So, is this what you wanted to talk about?"

Hollander tapped the edge of his brown cigar on the ash tray to remove some of the buildup.

"The WRO wants to give you two a proposition…a little something that you _can't_ refuse…"

"Go on, spit it out…" Zack said with slight irritation in his voice.

"We're offering you two a full time job to hunt and kill Mister Rufus Shinra and the rest of his top officials to put an end to this damn terrorist group. Now in return, we are letting you idiots go as freemen with clean slates… _after_ you continue your work for us for another 10 years or so. And don't worry…we pay our employees just as well as Shinra does."

 _10 fucking years?_

 _It better be one hell of a salary…_

"And if we refuse?" Cloud asked.

Hollander broke a smile and pointed over at Angeal, who was patiently waiting next to the door behind the two boys. "Well, Mr. Hewley here can just kill you two and your shit families if ya' got any left. That a better choice?"

 _Yeah, I'll pass._

Zack promptly slid his chair back, making it screech against the wooden floor. His solid body stood up, and he jammed the rest of his cigar into the oak desk in front of him.

"We'll take the offer."

Hollander nodded in approval. "Good. Your first assignment will start tomorrow. For the rest of the day, Angeal here will escort you boys over to Edge and brief ya'll on what to do and who your first target is. And…"

The WRO official looked between the two boys. "And he'll make sure you boys get some decent lookin' clothes and get a goddamn bath…because the stench coming from you two can fucking kill someone, I tell you what."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

"Wow, I look freaking great! And my skin is all nice and clean!" Zack exclaimed as he fastened the gold buttons to his silver pin striped vest over his dark gray long sleeved shirt. He did a few twist and turns in the mirror before slipping on his black, oilskin duster coat that had a standing collar and gray fur lining the end of his sleeves.

"You look just _dashing_ , Mister Fair! Oh please, here! This bandana will give it the finishing touch!" The aged tailor said as she quickly measured his neck with her makeshift measuring tape. She then grabbed a black, triangular bandana from the display table next to her and wrapped it around his neck. She nodded in satisfaction to Zack, pleased with the look she created.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Cloud asked with a snarky voice as he shaved the last bit of the stubble on the side of his face in the mirror next to him.

"Everything fits like a glove! Now, Cloud…" Zack smiled playfully at his reflection. "You know, you might have to protect me from all the ladies once I step out."

Cloud rolled his eyes as he dripped water from his water canteen onto his knife to shave.

 _This guy seriously cannot be a 1_ _st_ _Class Shinra SOLDIER…_

"Uh, sir…errr, you can't shave here…this is a clothing shop?" The little shop owner explained as she adjusted her bifocals.

"Sorry…" Cloud said as he wiped his hunting blade clean on his black poncho and placed it away on his black leather gun belt.

"Can you two idiots hurry the hell up?" Angeal's booming voice suddenly erupted in the small shop. He had his head sticking out of front door and was impatiently waiting for them just outside.

Cloud hurriedly strapped on his dark brown leather chaps over his black trousers and rolled up the long sleeves on his dark blue collared shirt before hurrying out the store door. He could hear the loud clanks from the metal spurs of Zack's boots behind him.

"So tell me, Angeal. How did you guys know we were hitting up Kalm? We're usually pretty good at keeping our trace clean." Zack asked as he and Cloud caught up with the silent man.

"That's classified information."

"Hey, it's okay! We're on the same team now, right? Com'on now, eh? Ehhh?" Zack gave him a second to see if he would respond. But of course, the bitter man remained in his tomblike state. " _Weeeell_ , I'm just gonna go ahead and assume that you guys have a little rat running around Shinra. And that's fine because, you know…we're WRO agents now…"

"Zack…" Cloud said and gave him a look.

 _Does this guy ever shut up?_

The dark haired gentleman sighed like he was bored, but quickly found his next distraction. His blue eyes were glued on two young women walking by in their fashionable dresses. He tilted his black, brick styled cowboy hat to them as he passed by.

"Ma'am…and ma'am." Zack greeted with a cunning smile. Their cheeks turned a bright red, and they giggled at him in return. He continued to do this while trailing Cloud and Angeal.

Cloud sighed at his friend. It wasn't even a full day yet, and he was already growing tired of Zack. He just couldn't believe that _this_ guy–this womanizing, happy-go-lucky guy was freaking 1st Class. He speculated on how a man like that could reach such a high rank. He wondered what his former colleagues thought of him.

Cloud left his friend to his gawking and walked up next to Angeal.

"So what are we doing here in Edge?" Cloud asked the brute as he looked around the busy town. He was surprised at how eventful the streets were with farmers and salesmen beckoning customers to visit their product stands, people bartering and walking down the streets, and plentiful WRO officers and lawmen looming on every corner. He even saw construction going on for what looked like a new power source building. It looked like the town was going to become a major city soon.

"Heidegger came here a few days after the raid in Kalm to get some supplies and more horses. You're going to Edge's horse ranch to try to get information on his whereabouts. It's our only lead on him right now." He then stopped is momentum down the dry, dirt street and turned to look at Cloud.

"Unless you two know where the hell he's off to next?"

The blonde shrugged and scratched at his spiky hair underneath his pinched and front styled cowboy hat. The information Reno gave him was the Kalm assignment and nothing more.

Zack shook his head as he settled back into the group conversation. "They don't tell SOLDIERs anything. We're just the muscle. I thought you knew that?"

Angeal glared at him.

"You were _obviously_ a 1st Class SOLDIER. It's a kinda hard to hide it." Zack folded his arms against his chest, and he tilted his head a little. "What made you leave?"

Angeal held his deathly stare and replied in a tense voice, "I left after I stopped doping up on Blue Jet and when I found out what they were doing to the Planet."

 _What are they doing to the Planet?_

Cloud looked over at Zack, who was looking down at his polished dark brown cowboy boots. He had that strange look on his face again and let out a soft _'Oh…'_ and by the look on his face, Cloud guess Zack understood how the brutish man felt. He wondered if Zack did the same thing with Blue Jet–constantly doping up and letting the Mako bleed through his veins and sink into his fleshy muscles.

"We want you to kill Heidegger first since he is the closest…well we assume he is the closest. We suspect that he's headed to Fort Condor Mine to probably make up for the Mako loss in Kalm. Make sure you talk to the rancher about it to confirm."

"Wait, make up for the Mako loss?"

"Yes, Shinra is in constant need of Mako to make their Blue Jet. They give it to new and current SOLDIERs. That's why they are regularly raiding towns and cities for their reactors. They also want to take over all of Gaia's Mako supply to become a monopoly and make life a living hell."

Angeal then turned and pointed towards large two story ranch house, just off of the hectic main street. There was a tall and large overhead sign standing at the entrance of the grand house saying 'Lockhart Horse Ranch.' The house had an antique feel to it, like it was built many years ago with all of its intricate details in the wood work. But the fresh white paint and gold trim made it look fresh and upscale. The house had a welcoming porch and had a matching white picket fence just around the perimeter of the property. "That's where you two are headed. Once you finish speaking with Mister Lockhart about the Heidegger mission, he'll give you two a new supply of weapons and horses."

"You're not coming with us?" Zack asked as he placed his hands in the pockets his navy blue trousers underneath his brown chaps.

Angeal shook his head. "No."

 _No? What do you mean no?_

 _We can't do this ourselves!_

Cloud looked at Angeal like he was imprudent. Did he really think just the two of them could take on Heidegger by themselves? Did he have any idea how many men were with attached to his side? Was this man still high on Blue Jet?

 _This is insane…_

"So you expect us to complete this assignment by ourselves?" Cloud fumingly questioned as Angeal turned away to depart. The gruff man didn't answer him and continued his pace away from them. Cloud irately pulled out his large hunting knife from his black leather belt and attempted to chase after Angeal, but Zack was quick to grab his shoulder to stop him.

"Hey, it's alright. They're just testing us out, that's all." He stated.

"This is a death sentence…" Cloud muttered as he looked down at his black western boots.

"Cloud," Zack stepped in a little closer to him. "You forgot that we have 1st Class Blue Jet inside of our bodies and in our DNA."

"Yeah, but Angeal took us out like it was nothing. We're not _that_ strong…at all."

"Well, that's because Scary Face is a 1st Class freak of nature. Heidegger doesn't have men like Angeal with him. Rufus likes to hog them up for himself."

Cloud's ocean eyes glanced up at him. "But what makes 1st Class Blue different than the Jet all the other Shinra guys are given?"

Zack drew out his sigh as a dejected look tainted his jolly visage.

"It's got this stuff in it called Jenova cells. It alters your genetics a little bit and makes you stronger and faster. Your body can take bullet wounds like their nothing…to a certain extent. Even your wounds and cuts heal faster."

The blonde's brows furrowed in perplexity.

 _What?_

He shook his head in disbelief and brushed off Zack's hand from his broad shoulder. "Why was I given this shit?"

"Shinra doesn't want a few 1st Class SOLDIERs anymore. He wants the entire SOLDIER force to be 1st Class."

"So…are these Jenova cells…are they bad or something?"

The black haired gentleman scratched at the scar on his cheek. He put off Cloud's question and wrapped a chummy arm around his friend's shoulders. "Look, let's just put a cork in this one for now, 'kay? We need to get going on this Heidegger mission. Now let's go!"

Cloud watched as his fervent friend dash towards the majestic abode. He wanted to know more about this whole Jenova and Mako process Shinra did with their SOLDERs. He thought it was aberrant on how Zack would frequently avoid conversing about Shinra and Blue Jet. He was one of their top and most zealous SOLDIERs, and it seemed like he had loyally fought for them for several years.

Cloud shook his head before he jogged after Zack to catch up with him. He got the feeling that he was masking something and it wasn't good.

By the time Cloud had caught up with Zack at the front entrance, he had already knocked on the door. As Zack adjusted his thick duster collar and his gold WRO pin at his chest, a man opened the door. He was of average height and wore a fancy white, swallow-tail coat and khaki colored britches. His dark brown hair was neatly cut and his parted bangs framed his friendly, clean shaven face. However, on the right side of his temple was a fresh and enormous scar that looked like it was still healing. The skin around his dark eyes wrinkled as he displayed a wholehearted smile.

Cloud gazed at the man before him for a moment. His face and eyes looked familiar like he had seen them before…

"Oh! Salutations, gentlemen! Such a lovely day, isn't it?" The man spoke with a cultivated voice. His eyes flickered between the two gold WRO pins on both of the men. "Ah! You two must be the WRO agents Hollander was talking about. I'm so glad you two took his offer up. The WRO is a wonderful organization."

Cloud gave a deadpan look and didn't speak to the man. He looked over at Zack and waited for him to say something. He figured he should leave all the talking to him. He seemed like he was good at it.

Zack cleared his throat before speaking. "Yeah the offer was, um, quite a bargain. Are you Mister Lockhart?"

"Ah yes sir, I am! I apologize for not introducing myself. Please, call me Daniel. And you two are…?"

"I'm Zack Fair, and Spikey over here," Zack pointed over towards Cloud. "His name is Cloud Strife."

"Well, welcome Mister Fair and Mister Strife. Please, do come in!" Mister Lockhart moved to the side to let them in.

The inside of the extravagant residence was just as lovely as the outside was. Beautiful dark green wallpaper covered the walls of the home. They had white shelves that were full of old books and little collectable horse figurines. Sophisticated burgundy carpets covered the polished wooden floors and red long drapes of thick fabrics framed the windows. Two vintage white couches stood across from each other in the middle of the living room with an elegant, crystal coffee table sitting between them. The home was so proper and spotless that Cloud was nervous to touch anything.

"Welcome to my abode, gentlemen!" Mister Lockhart motioned over towards the white seats as he strolled over to his crystal bar cart. "Please, take a seat! Would you two like a drink?"

Zack exchanged glances with Cloud before shrugging. "Sure! I'll have some Scotch!"

"And for you, Mister Strife?" Mr. Lockhart asked as he poured out the rich amber liquid from its glass decanter into a matching whiskey tumbler.

"Oh I don't–"

"He'll have one too," Zack interrupted.

Cloud shot him a glare as the two sat down next to each other on one of the couches.

 _Since when are you making decisions for me?_

Zack rolled his eyes and leaned over to whisper to him. "If a man like _that_ offers you a free drink, _you take it_."

He gave Cloud a quick wink before settling himself back into his seat as the graceful man came over.

"Scotch is an excellent choice. It is truly a gentleman's drink." Daniel stated as he placed the two drinks down on the coffee table and took his seat across from them. He serenely crossed his legs and formed a steeple gesture with his hands. The expression on his ecstatic face suddenly turned businesslike. "Now, shall we talk about this Heidegger business?"

"Yes, we heard from Scary–er–Angeal Hewley that you recently came in contact with Heidegger a few days after the Kalm incident, correct?" Zack questioned as he took a savory sip of his alcohol.

"Yes. He rode into town at night and raided our gunsmith before stopping here. He looked rather frantic when he came to the ranch, and he was low on men. Some of them were severely injured. He held my daughter and me captive as his men gathered up some horses from the stables." The ranch owner then lowered his head a little. "We were quite scared and he almost...um…took advantage of Tifa…"

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Is she alright?"

"Yes, she's fine. She–"

Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching. A dark haired woman strode into the room and Cloud's Mako eyes widened in consternation. His mouth was agape as he feasted on the beauty before him.

 _Shiiiiiit…_

 _It's that girl from Kalm!_

He forcefully ripped away his ogling eyes from her and timidly adjusted the black bandana hanging around his neck. The room was becoming unbearably hot, and he could feel his palms get clammy. The blonde felt completely embarrassed. He couldn't believe that he almost stole a horse from Mister Lockhart's daughter. And now he was sitting there as a WRO agent trying to get help from him.

Cloud pulled the brim of his black western hat down in his face, in a sad attempt to conceal himself.

"Father, I'm heading out to find some stallions to make up for…" The woman stopped herself as he looked up from fiddling with the lasso in her hand. She pulled off her hat and let it hang behind her to get a better view of the guests in her house. Her brown eyes glanced between a beaming Zack and a wary Cloud. Her face immediately warped in repugnance as her eyes burned into Cloud's tan flesh.

"Speaking of the devil, this is my daughter, Tifa." Daniel said.

"Dad…what the hell are _they_ doing here?"

Her father frowned. "Tifa…your language…"

"These idiots are from Shinra! And this one…" Tifa pointed a gloved finger at Cloud. "… _this_ is the _jerkface_ who tried to steal Stella!"

Cloud tried to sink deeper into his cushioned seat like that would somehow swallow him. Zack glanced over at him, with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Cloud could tell he was holding back a snicker as he continued to blissfully sip the last bit of his drink. His friend was clearly entertained by what was going on, and it only made Cloud feel even more humiliated.

 _Gaia this is awkward…_

"Well, they are no longer part of Shinra's gang, dear. And I completely forgive Mister Strife for his actions, and you should too. Now please go pour me a glass of Scotch, and let us continue with our business _in peace_." Mister Lockhart requested firmly. Tifa responded with an angry fit as she stomped her black boot down. She grabbed chunks of her brown colored long skirt in both her hands and twisted her head away in abhorrence before hurrying over to the bar cart. As she poured her father a drink, Cloud promptly took the extra glass of Scotch on the table and drank it like it was water.

Daniel grunted as tried to get comfortable again. "I apologize for my daughter's rudeness…she's not very hospitable with visitors." He paused as Tifa gave him his glass of Scotch. He muttered a simple _thank you_ and took a large swallow of the liquor before speaking again. Tifa, upset at her father, planted herself behind him and rested her hands on the gold frame of the couch.

"Now, I believe the last thing I talking about was the night Heidegger was here…"

"Yes," Zack nodded and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "Please continue."

"Heidegger nearly killed us when he was here. But I persuaded him that he needed us alive and unharmed so that Tifa and I could give him our best horses. He agreed and we did as we promised. While we were out getting the horses out for them at the stables, I overheard a man whispering something about an underground reactor and Fort Condor. I don't remember much after that, since Heidegger gave me a good whack in the head before heading out." Daniel pointed to the red scar on his head for proof.

"Yeah. We spoke with Hewley before we got here, and he and Hollander suspected that Heidegger would be heading there. He also said something about a Mako mine or whatever." Zack replied.

"Yes. Shinra has control of that area as far as I know. There was a battle there some years ago where the WRO lost the Mako reactor and the land against Shinra's forces. I heard most of the reactor was damaged during the fight, but I guess they recently got it back running again. But I'm not entirely sure, as this was just a rumor that's been spreading around." Daniel explained.

Cloud spoke up after gulping down the last of his drink. "Why didn't Heidegger take the Mako here?"

"Edge is a _dry_ town," Tifa said as she relentlessly stared at the blonde.

"She means that Edge has little to no Mako. Our reactor was shut down and removed. Most of the town has converted over to solar energy thanks to the WRO."

"Well," Zack stretched out his arms and placed his feet back on the ground and stood up. "I guess we're heading to Fort Condor then. Thanks for all the information, Daniel." Zack held out a hand for a handshake, and Mister Lockhart stood up and shook it. Cloud sighed as he got up on his feet. His eyes strayed off towards the floor to avoid eye contact with Tifa.

"Fort Condor is a long way south from here. Why don't you two stay the night and head out fresh in the morning?" The ranch owner offered.

Cloud gave a quiet groan. He already knew what Zack's response would be.

Zack gave a shrug and smiled. "Okay!"

"Good! Tifa and I can help you two get your supplies and horses for the rest of the day, now won't we Teef?"

Tifa rolled up the sleeves of her white Victorian blouse before placing her hands on her prominent hips.

" _Sure_ ," She snorted.

Cloud's gaze finally met with hers. He could see the red hue in her eyes flare out from her pupils like scorching flames.

 _She's gonna kill me in my sleep tonight._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

"Excellent! Let me go get a few things to help you two on your trip to Fort Condor." Tifa's father placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. "I'll try not to be too long. And I apologize again for my daughter's impoliteness. Hopefully she won't run her mouth while I'm gone."

Daniel gave a pleasant smile to the gentlemen before running off into the back of the abode.

Tifa's eyes danced between the two WRO agents.

"I can't believe my father is helping you fools. I can _see_ what you're doing, by the way," Tifa ranted.

The two boys looked at each other with mystified expressions. They had no idea what she was yakking about.

 _This girl is freaking crazy…_

"I _know_ once you get the chance, you're gonna turn your backs against the WRO!" The woman hissed. She laid her piercing eyes on Cloud. "They should've just hung your asses at Kalm. You two are nothing but Shinra, horse-stealing imbeciles!"

"Whoaaaa there, Miss Ma'am. I may be a former Shinra dog and I _mayyy_ be an imbecile at times, but I sure ain't no horse-stealer." Zack pointed over to the blonde with a devilish grin. "That's _this_ guy."

Cloud whipped his head around to glare at the sharpshooter. He could see him struggling to keep down the laughter that was scratching his throat.

 _What the fuck, man!_

 _You were the bastard who told me to go ride the damn thing back to camp!_

 _Whose side are you on?!_

"Your stupid horse is fine," Cloud growled as he returned his eyes to Tifa. "It threw me off anyways."

"Too bad the fall didn't break your back." Tifa fired.

Cloud's brows pinched together in bitterness. He was letting her get under his skin.

 _This girl just cannot let go of this horse thing…_

 _I bet she doesn't have a boyfriend._

 _Who would want to deal with that?_

"Maybe if you would've _aimed_ better, you could've shot me off your dumb horse."

"Her name is _Stella_ , you pile of sh–"

"You two are sooo cute together," Zack said as he budded in and released a hearty chuckle.

Tifa was about to go off into another rampage, but was cut off by her father.

"I'm back! I'm back!" Mister Lockhart huffed after rushing in the living room. His arms were occupied with a couple of wooden boxes and strapped on his back was large, scoped rifle. Zack helped the rancher place the boxes on the crystal coffee table.

"What is all of this?" Zack asked as he opened a box. Inside were two semi-automatic, triple-barreled revolvers. "Whoa…"

"The WRO asked me to supply you gentlemen with weapons for your assignment. These weapons are rare and some of the best in Gaia." Daniel explained as he removed the strap around his torso and leaned the deadly rifle against the small table. "Those two revolvers are actually for you, Mister Strife."

"Lucky you!" Zack said and handed the box over to his friend.

Cloud examined both of the black revolvers. They were ornamented with scrollwork designs and small dog heads were in place of the iron sights of each barrel. Intricate designs were also burned into the handle of the weapons. The guns were larger than typical revolvers and had triple cylinders. Both guns looked like they were capable of holding about 18 shots per gun. The firearms appeared a little worn like they had been used before, but they were well taken care of. Cloud took one in his hand for a closer inspection.

"The one you're holding is called Cerberus and the other one is called Ifrit. People say that these guns were used by a legendary gunman who used to roam Gaia. They say that his spirit lives in both of them. They're not only prized for their rarity, but also for their lethality." Daniel clarified.

"How did you get these?" Cloud asked as he carefully placed Cerberus back in the box.

"I am an avid collector of rare and deadly firearms. These are just some of the few that I've collected over the years."

"I have to say, I am a little surprised that the WRO is letting you give us these guns. I thought the WRO would issue us some of their firearms?" Zack inquired.

"Ah, yes. They tried supplying me with their guns, but I talked them out of it. I showed them these beauties and they approved. They are just as fatal as the WRO's. Plus…" Daniel grinned. "I want these weapons to be known for another legacy–killing Rufus and his two pets."

Mister Lockhart then grabbed the rifle and handed it to Zack. "The WRO told me you were Shinra's best sharpshooter, so I thought this scoped rifle would be perfect for you. It was used by the same legendary gunman, and he named it The Death Penalty. This one is probably the rarest gun I have."

The black Carcano rifle was decorated in the same scrollwork engravings as the two revolvers. It was long, and weighed about twelve to fifteen pounds. The scope ran from the trigger of the gun down to the middle of its barrel. The rifle also had the same iron dog head on the top of it. The armament looked like it was brand new.

"Do you approve, Mister Fair?"

"Oh, heck yeah! I bet this sweet baby can shred through anything!"

"Good! I also have a powerful revolver for you, called Bahamut, as your backup." Daniel said as Zack gave him back the rifle. "In the other box are several hunting knives for the two of you. Just let me polish them up and they're yours. I'll also clean your firearms for you as well. In the meantime, my daughter can show you your horses."

Tifa cursed under her breath. She gave Cloud another sinister look. "All right, follow me you pigs."

The two men expressed their gratitude to Tifa's father before exiting the sumptuous household after Tifa.

"How ya' holdin' up? You look a little, um, flustered…" Zack whispered as they trailed the antagonistic woman.

Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose while he murmured back. "This girl is ruthless. Every time she looks at me, it's this death stare…like she's imagining every possible way to kill me."

"Yeahhh you sure did piss off the wrong girl." Zack pointed to the lasso hanging on the side of the woman's belt. "I'd watch for that lasso if I were you. I don't think it's for the horses anymore."

Cloud's hand reflexively went to his throat.

Zack busted out in laughter at his yellow haired friend and slapped his back. "Jeez, women scare you, don't they?"

"What's so funny?" Tifa questioned as she halted her movement and twisted her thin torso around to glance at the men behind her.

In an instant, Zack snapped his jaw shut and stared down at his cowboy boots. "Uh…nothing…"

 _And you said I was scared of women…yeah…_

Her dark eyes narrowed at the two men before she turned around to open the wooden gate to the horse pen. Cloud and Zack silently followed her across the large, dirt arena towards the horse stables. The wooden building and the fence around the dirt pen were all painted in the ranch's standard white color. The stable held about twenty box stalls, but only seven were occupied. Golden hay stacks wrapped in their neat round fashion were off on one side of the sturdy stables for horse feed. The other side of the stable had high quality leather reigns and saddles and saddle pads hanging on the walls in a precise arrangement. Cloud looked down at the dirt at his feet noting the clean lines raked in. He almost felt bad for walking all over the Lockhart's tidy work.

As they reached the stables, Cloud recognized Stella, Tifa horse, standing with her head peering out in one of them. Cloud could see a smile form on her porcelain visage as she glanced over at her animal companion.

They stopped the horse box next to Stella. Tifa made a clicking sound with her tongue until a bay horse stuck his head out to greet them. The horse had a reddish-brown coat and a jet black mane. Cloud watched the brunette softly rub down the white and black nose of the animal to comfort it.

"Mister Fair, this is your horse. He's one of our best stallions. He's is very gentle and sweet." She then settled her brown eyes at the black haired gentleman. "What are you gonna name him?"

Zack blinked. "Uhhh…?"

Tifa let out a sigh and placed a hand on her jutting hip. "You know, it's bad luck if you ride into battle with a nameless horse!"

"Errrr…" Zack peered at the patient horse in deep thought. He looked like he was using all of his brainpower just to think of a name. "…erm, uh, how about Buster?"

" _Buster_?" Cloud repeated. "That's the best name you could think of?"

"Hey, I just want this horse to get me from point A to point B. I don't really care about his name."

"What about Phoenix?" The woman suggested.

"Yeah, Phoenix! I like it! That's a great name for this handsome stud."

"Great! You can take Phoenix out for a ride in the pen if you want. He's very obedient, so you shouldn't have any problems guiding him in and out of his box. Plus, you have Stella here to keep an eye on him." Tifa gave Zack an assuring nod before she turned her attention towards the blonde.

"Now _you_ need to come with _me_." She ordered and treaded off to another pen just next to the one they were in.

Cloud flicked his eyes over at Zack with an apprehensive expression on his face.

Zack shrugged. "Good luck, man."

"Yeah…if you don't see me in the morning, that means I'm probably dead." Cloud muttered as he straggled after Tifa.

He followed the dark haired woman over to the next pen. He watched her stop at one of the occupied boxes. She turned to face him, and a cagey smirk played on her countenance. The look on her face made him skeptical. Cloud stopped to study her.

 _Why is she smiling at me like that?_

He was about to continue his stride, when suddenly Tifa ripped opened the door to the box and a black mustang came charging towards him.

 _Whoa!_

Cloud hastily rolled out of the way of the berserk creature, just barely dodging its immense hooves. The stallion ran wildly around the gated pen while conjuring up a dust storm. His black mane whipped around the gusting wind as he twisted his head around to release his roaring shrieks. Cloud had never seen a horse as livid as this one.

"Darn, I thought he had you," The woman sighed as she held out a hand to help him up. The gunman hesitated for a moment before taking it. She pulled him up and shoved the lasso into his pecs. He unenthusiastically grabbed the rope and held it in his hands.

"What do you want me to do with this? Hang myself?"

"Sure, or you can get yourself a horse."

" _What_?"

The alluring beauty folded her arms across her large bosom. She leaned in a little closer to the outlaw. "You're gonna have to _work_ for your horse, you jerk."

"This is stupid. Do you see that thing? Do you see how mad it is?" He protested.

"That's because he hasn't been tamed yet. So you can either do the work or you get no horse." She asserted as she shoved him in the chest. Her push caused him to stumble back a little.

" _Fine_ ," He rumbled. The blonde then focused his Mako eyes on the speeding horse. "Can you at least give me some pointers here? What do I do after I lasso him?"

"After you lasso him, you gotta break him!" Tifa said as she hurried her way towards the fence. She gracefully climbed out of the pen and placed her western hat on that hung around her neck.

 _This is fucking crazy!_

Cloud could feel his heart racing in his chest and the blood pumping through his veins. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He had never broken a horse before, or never really handled horses. Hell, the only large animal he had ever dealt with was a blockheaded cow that his parent's owned on their farm.

Cloud dashed out of the way as the beast charged at him again. As the black horse whizzed by, he could hear it grunt and snort. Cloud swung the rope up over his head, ready to toss it. He carefully watched the animal heedlessly bolt around the edges of the timber fence and patiently waited for the right moment to throw. After a few minutes, he found a break in the dust storm. He casted his rope as the horse emerged from it.

He missed.

"Dammit!" He muttered as he gathered his lasso to try again. He could hear Tifa giggling off in the corner somewhere. Cloud ignored her and swung the rope again for a second effort.

He waited again for a similar opening and was successful. The feral horse drastically skidded to a stop as the rope wrapped around his neck. He violently reared and released a shrill. Cloud inched closer as the animal threw his long neck around to try and get the lasso off of him. As the man drew closer to mount him, the stallion took off.

 _Oh no…_

The gunman was yanked off his feet. and his chest slammed against the ground. His cowboy hat flew off as the horse dragged him across the dirt. Immediately he released his grip from the rope and rolled off to the side. Cloud laid there for second before jumping on his feet again. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees as he ravenously inhaled in the crisp, afternoon air. Gaia, he was already tired of this shit.

 _I thought this 1_ _st_ _Class Mako shit was supposed to make me stronger and faster?_

"Hey! Uh…that's not how you do it!" Tifa shouted. Cloud could hear the worry in her voice.

"I know, dammit!" He snapped. He spat out the dirt in his mouth in discontent.

 _I'll definitely be sore tomorrow…_

As dusk fell upon Edge, the mustang began to settle down. His long gallops turned to short trots. His head was hanging low in exhaustion. The mustang's dense muscles had lost their energy, and his lungs were overworked. He continued to huff through his wet nostrils as he kept a vigilant eye on the tenacious human. Cloud was fatigued as well, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to give up now after all the falls and throws he took from the bucking mammal. This horse was his.

 _Come on you stupid horse, give up already!_

The outlaw wiped the dust from his eyes with his arm as he attempted to get closer again to the animal. He approached with caution. The horse rested his hazy, black eyes on the male and ceased his walk. Cloud copied the horse and was stagnant. The two were still for what seemed like an eternity until the marksman made a move forward. He took a few sluggish steps and waited again. He repeated this until he was right next to the robust creature. He was so close to it that he could feel its breathing. Placidly, Cloud put his hand on the horse's neck and tenderly stroked it. He could feel the animal relax.

"Good boy…you're okay…I'm not gonna hurt you," Cloud whispered.

He gradually made his way to the mammal's flank and slowly mounted. He took a handful of the stallion's black mane and gave a light tug to signal the male to move. The horse obeyed and started his trot around the fence with his head naturally bobbing up and down. Cloud the guided the horse towards the middle of the pen, where Tifa was now standing. When he reached her, he dismounted. He gave her a brash, half smile.

"I can't believe it. You broke him." Tifa said as she brushed her bangs away from her brown eyes. She held a canteen in one hand while the other held his black western hat. "I didn't think anyone could do it."

"Did you guys try to break him?" He breathed out.

"Yep," She handed over the water canteen to the drained gentleman. "My father and I just brought him in a few days ago. We barely had the speed to catch him. When we tried to break him, he would put up vicious fights. He's too stubborn for us…just like you."

He lifted his head to meet her gaze for a moment before taking the container.

"How long was I out here?" Cloud asked as he shifted his posture and voraciously drank the clear liquid from the canteen.

"Only a couple of hours."

"I was out here for _hours_?" He panted. Water droplets dripped off the side of his chapped lips as he spoke. "Were you…out here the whole time?"

"I might have been. Why?" A coy grin suddenly appeared on her visage.

"I just…nothing." The marksman awkwardly turned his head away. He frowned as he returned the canteen back to her.

 _You look a lot nicer when you smile._

She took it and pushed up the brim of her brown hat. "So, what's his name?" She asked with her smile still beaming.

Cloud looked at the all black mustang next to him before replying to her. "…Fenrir."

"Fenrir? What kind of name is _that_?"

"Well, it's better than Phoenix or Stella."

Tifa rolled her eyes and handed the man his hat.

"Here's your hat, cowboy." She said and turned to walk away.

 _Hey wait!_

"Hey, Tifa…"

She whirled around to listen. "Yeah?"

"I just…" Cloud meekly rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry for trying to steal Stella."

She smiled at him again, and he could see her dark eyes soften a little.

"It's all right." She said as she continued her stride towards her home. "You know, once you're done with your WRO business, you should look into becoming a horse rancher."

Cloud sighed. "I'll keep that in mind…"


End file.
